Positive pressure automatic swimming pool cleaners are widely commercially available and are described in many patents (for example, see applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,090,219 and 6,365,039). Such cleaners typically include a cleaner body configured to travel underwater along the interior surface of a pool containment wall (which generally includes both a substantially horizontal floor portion and a substantially vertical sidewall portion) and/or along the pool water surface, driven by a supplied positive pressure water flow. A debris container, typically comprising a bag formed of water permeable material, is generally carried by the cleaner body for collecting leaves, sand, and other debris captured by the cleaner body as it travels through the pool.
A typical prior art debris bag has an entrance opening configured for removable attachment to the cleaner body and an access opening (generally along a top or side seam) which is sealed during normal cleaning operation but which can be selectively opened by a user to remove debris from the bag. Such a prior art debris bag is typically provided with cooperating hook and loop fastener strips, e.g., Velcro, to allow the user to open and then reseal the bag access opening. Unfortunately, the debris discarded from the bag tends to clog the hook and loop fastener strips which, after extensive use, lose their ability to properly reseal the bag.
Debris bags for pool cleaners are preferably designed so as to avoid impeding the movement of the cleaner body as it travels through the pool. Thus, in some prior art configurations, an exterior loop on the bag is attached to the cleaner water supply hose to constrain the bag's movement relative to the cleaner body. In other configurations, a buoyant member is positioned within the bag (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,885) adjacent to the bag's upper end to orient the bag out of the way of the cleaner body travel path.